Roofing panel with interlocking side edges

ABSTRACT

Panels for roofing or siding having flat sides and sides molded to be imitative of a plurality of shingles and underlying and overlying portions at the edges of the panels operable, when interengaged, to prevent lateral movement of the adjacent panels relative to each other and lifting of the overlying portions from the underlying portions, and said underlying portions being adapted to be secured by fastening elements to the surfaces to which the panels are applied.

United States Patent 1191 Turner Apr. 30, 1974 [54] ROOFING PANEL WITH INTERLOCKING 1,986,739 1/1935 Mine 52/539 SIDE EDGES 973,946 10/1910 Lindau 52/533 [76] Inventor: Edward C. Turner, 257 Chestnut FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPUCATIONS St, Wremham, Mass- 02093 4,655 11/1893 Sweden 52/595 l,58l,384 9/1969 France 52 588 [22] Fled: 1971 559,921 7/1958 Canada 52314 [21] App]. No.: 185,535

' Primary Examiner-Frank L. Abbott Assistant Examiner-Leslie A. Braun [52] US. Cl f f z f gg f g g Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Robert T. Gammons [51] Int. Cl B44f 7/00, E04b H60 [58] Field of Search 52/520, 527, 523-525, [57] ABSTRACT 52/537 5951 Panels for roofing or siding having flat sides and sides 594; 287/2092 B molded to be imitative of a plurality of shingles and underlying and overlying portions at the edges of the [56] References Clted panels operable, when interengaged, to prevent lateral UNITED STATES PATENTS movement of the adjacent panels relative to each 3,650,080 3/1972 Leale 52/588 other and lifting of the overlying Portions from the 3,l86,130 6/1965 Gray 52/595 derlying portions, and said underlying portions being ,601,946 9/1971 othemu 52/588 adapted to be secured by fastening elements to the 2,786,556 3/1957 Constance 52/588 Surfaces to hi h h panels are li d 2,027,292 l/l936 Rockwell 52/595 2,085,764 7/1937 Odell 52/314 1 Claim, 4 Drawing Figures ROOFING PANEL WITH INTERLOCKING SIDE EDGES BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION PaNels imitative of a plurality of shingles or clapboards for use in roofing and/or siding are not new. However, such panels as are known do not have means for interlocking their adjacent edges which is adequate and if they do have locking means such means makes laying of the panels so troublesome as to prevent their general use. The purpose of this invention is to provide an improved panel which is capable of large scale inexpensive manufacture, of a material which is durable under all conditions of weather in hot, cold, wet and dry climates without deterioration, and which can be applied in such fashion as to resist lateral separation between adjacent panels and lifting of one panel relative to the other and can be applied without difficulty.

SUMMARY As herein illustrated, the invention comprises a panel imitative of a plurality of shingles comprising a unitary structure having a uniformly flat bottom side and a top side molded to the pattern of a plurality of shingles, and means at the edges of the panels for lockingly interengaging adjacent panelsto each other, said interlocking means comprising along the adjacent edges of panels placed edge-to-edge overlapping portions from the bottom and top respectively, which collectively correspond to the thickness of the panels and a recess between the overlapping portions intermediate the ends of said portions adapted to accommodate the heads of fasteners driven through the lower one of the overlapping portions. and interengaged means on the confronting surfaces and edges of the overlapping portions operable to prevent lateral movement of the panels relative to each other and lifting of the overlying portions from the underlying portions. The interengaged means comprise a rib projecting upwardly from the upper surface of the underlying portion, a groove in the lower surface of the overlying portion which prevents lateral displacement, a tongue of lesser thickness than the underlying portion extending beyond the end thereof and a groove in the panel inwardly of the projecting portion of the overlying panel.

The invention will now be described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a panel showing the upper side provided with a surface imitative of a plurality of shingles;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary plan view to larger scale showing the abutting edges of two panels placed edgeto-edge;

FIG. 3 is a vertical section taken on the line 3-3 of FIG. 2; and

F IG. 4 is a fragmentary perspective of the portions of the panels shown in FIG. 3 separated to more clearly illustrate the configuration of each of the interlocking portions independently of the other.

As related heretofore, the panels herein illustrated are comprised of sheet material consisting of, for example, molded polyvinyl chloride (PVC) to simulate or be imitative in both color and texture of roofing shingles, hand split shakes, slates and the like. It is within the scope of the invention, however, to mold the panels to be imitative of clapboards.

2 The panels are molded to provide at their edges integral interengageable means for preventing lateral shifting of the panels relative to each other and/or lifting of one panel away from the other after installation.

FIG. 1 shows a single panel 10 and this has along two of its intersecting edges 12 and 14 a portion 16 (FIG. 4) which is of lesser thickness than the panel, the lower side 18 comprising a coplanar extension of the lower side of the panel and the upper side 20 being downwardly offset from the upper side of the panel. The portion 16 has longitudinally of the edge at its upper side an upwardly projecting rib 22 having a surface 24 which is perpendicular to the panel and an inclined surface 26. In addition the portion 16 has at its distal edge 28 a tongue 30, the upper side of which comprises a coplanar extension of the portion 16 and the lower side of which is upwardly offset from the lower side of the panel.

At the other two intersecting edges of the panel 12' and 14' there is a portion 32, the upper. side 34 of which comprises a coplanar extension of the upper side of the panel and the lower side 36 of which is upwardly offset with respect to the lower side of the panel. The portion 32 contains in its lower side a groove 38 corresponding in cross-section to the rib 22, so located therein as to be interengageable with the rib 22 of the adjacent panel when the panels are placed edge-toedge in overlapping relation as shown in FIG. 3. At the inner end of the portion 32 a groove 40 is formed in the body of the panel intermediate the lower side of the panel and the upper side in a position to telescopically receive the tongue 30.

The portions 16 and 32 comprise the underlying and overlying portions of the adjacent panels and the overlying portion 32 intermediate the groove 38 and the groove 40 contains an upwardly formed shallow recess 44 of a depth to accommodate the heads 46 of fastening elements such as roofing nails 48, leaving a clearance so that the heads will not produce raised areas in the exposed surface of the overlying portion when the panels are interengaged.

When the panels are installed the panel which has the underlying portion is secured to the roof or side wall by driving roofing nails 48 through the portion 16 whereupon the adjacent edge of the next panel is placed upon the surface and pushed laterally so as to interengage the rib 22 and groove 38 and the tongue 30 and groove 40. The interengaged rib and groove 22 and 38 prevent lateral displacement of the panels relative to each other and the interengaged tongue 30 and groove 40 prevent lifting of the panels relative to each other.

The interengaged rib and groove provide a waterproof seam at the adjacent edges of the panels and the overlapping portions of the adjacent panels conceal the roofing nails and provide an invisible seam at the adjacent edges.

It should be understood that the present disclosure is for the purpose of illustration only and that this invention includes all modifications and equivalents falling within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A panel imitative of a plurality of shingles comprising a unitary structure having a uniformly flat bottom side and a top side molded to the pattern of a plurality of shingles and means at the edges of the panel for lockingly interengaging adjacent panels to each other, said interlocking-means comprising along two intersecting edges portions at the inner side and along two other intersecting edges portions at the outer side, said portions extending lengthwise with each of said edges and each portion being of lesser thickness than the panel and having outer and inner sides, the outer sides being coplanar with the outer sides of the panel and the inner sides being situated intermediate the inner and outer sides of the panels, the edge faces from which the portions project being perpendicular to the inner and outer sides of the panel and to the inner sides of the portion;

being situated intermediate the outer and inner sides of the inner portions and the inner side being coplanar with the inner side of the inner portions; and said outer portions containing grooves in their inner sides of right section situated in spaced parallel relation to the edge faces in which said ribs are engageable, the right sides of said grooves in conjunction with said edge faces defining rectangular ribs which mate with said rectangular grooves so that there are interengaged ribs and grooves, said outer portions inwardly of said right triangular grooves being of lesser thickness than the portions outwardly thereof such that the surfaces are spaced from the inner sides of the inner portions and define therebetween gaps of such size as to accommodate the heads of fastening elements driven through the inner portions and said edge faces containing channels of a thickness corresponding to the thickness of said tongues, said channels being located inwardly of said outer sides in positions to receive said tongues. 

1. A panel imitative of a plurality of shingles comprising a unitary structure having a uniformly flat bottom side and a top side molded to the pattern of a plurality of shingles and means at the edges of the panel for lockingly interengaging adjacent panels to each other, said interlocking means comprising along two intersecting edges portions at the inner side and along two other intersecting edges portions at the outer side, said portions extending lengthwise with each of Said edges and each portion being of lesser thickness than the panel and having outer and inner sides, the outer sides being coplanar with the outer sides of the panel and the inner sides being situated intermediate the inner and outer sides of the panels, the edge faces from which the portions project being perpendicular to the inner and outer sides of the panel and to the inner sides of the portion; said inner portions having at their inner sides right triangular ribs extending from their inner sides in spaced parallel relation to said edge faces with their right sides parallel to said edge faces, said edge faces and said right sides defining grooves of rectangular cross-section, the apices of the ribs being of lesser height than the edge faces and the hypotenuse sides sloping from the apices toward the inner sides, and tongues at the ends of the inner portions of lesser thickness than the portions having outer and inner sides, the outer side being situated intermediate the outer and inner sides of the inner portions and the inner side being coplanar with the inner side of the inner portions; and said outer portions containing grooves in their inner sides of right section situated in spaced parallel relation to the edge faces in which said ribs are engageable, the right sides of said grooves in conjunction with said edge faces defining rectangular ribs which mate with said rectangular grooves so that there are interengaged ribs and grooves, said outer portions inwardly of said right triangular grooves being of lesser thickness than the portions outwardly thereof such that the surfaces are spaced from the inner sides of the inner portions and define therebetween gaps of such size as to accommodate the heads of fastening elements driven through the inner portions and said edge faces containing channels of a thickness corresponding to the thickness of said tongues, said channels being located inwardly of said outer sides in positions to receive said tongues. 